The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apricot tree, Prunus armeniaca L., which has been given the variety denomination ‘APRILOVE’. This new tree produces fruit with a long shelf life without alteration after harvesting, very good eating quality, and orange flesh fruit for fresh market in at the end of June or in July in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, France.
Contrast is made to ‘APRIDELICE’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,631), a similar apricot tree variety, for reliable description. Contrast is also made to the known female parent variety.
The new variety named ‘APRILOVE’ is a promising candidate for commercial success in that it has very attractive fruits with long shelf life without alteration after harvesting. This new variety results from our plant-breeding program aimed at obtaining self-pollinating apricot trees producing fruits of sweet and very aromatic taste, with an attractive orange skin covered by an appealing orange red blush. One of our main concerns is also the production of new varieties producing fruits having a long shelf life after harvesting, to facilitate long distance shipping. Our final purpose is the production of a range of new apricot tree varieties differing by their time of maturity, while producing fruits of very similar characteristics, to provide markets with almost indistinguishable fruits during the whole period of production of apricot.